Life isn’t a straight line. From breakups and health issues to bereavement and academic failures, life is bound to bring you down. But people handle situations differently. While some remain strong in the face of adversity, others take the slightest disappointments to heart.
Not to worry, however, emotional resilience is an acquired trait. Emotional Resilience allows you to recover from setbacks and adapt to challenges without compromising your mental wellbeing. As such, emotional resilience isn’t just about bouncing back from setbacks. You need this tool and other tools in your emotional resilience toolbox to grow aspects of your life such as finances, career, and relationships. Here’s how anyone can build emotional resilience.
1. Face Your Fears
Fear is beneficial to your wellbeing. First off, it keeps you safe by alerting you of lurking threats in your surroundings. You can also use fear to increase your focus and boost productivity. But not all things are worth being afraid of. For instance, a networking phobia could cost you career opportunities. The best option is to confront your fears instead of avoiding them. While it brings temporary relief, avoiding your fears causes regret in the long run when you remember the things you didn’t do.
The first step of facing your fears is imagining the worst. Chances are, the situation isn’t as bad in reality as it is in your head. Breathing exercises also come in handy. Rather than distracting your mind, deep breaths accustom you to the stressors to reduce your fear’s intensity. Feel free to treat yourself when you overcome adversity. For example, you can go for dinner, shopping, or get a massage. Similarly, learn how to laugh things off. Humor lowers stress and makes situations less threatening.
2. Find Purpose
Your purpose motivates you to keep going even when times seem tough. There are many ways to find your life’s meaning. For starters, volunteering helps you perfect new skills and discover hidden passions. Assuming you enjoy cooking, volunteering at soup kitchens improves your culinary skills while encouraging empathy. Volunteering also pushes you out of your comfort zone by connecting you to new people and engaging you in group activities.
You can also find meaning by listening to feedback. Chances are, you’re displaying your passion to other people without noticing it. But don’t limit yourself to your inner circle. Strangers might reveal opportunities you did not know existed. Most importantly, search inward. Even if you get other people’s suggestions, self-awareness is the fastest route to your purpose.
3. Practice Positivity
A positive mindset doesn’t mean you should wear a smile every time. Instead, it involves staying optimistic even in the face of chaos. Apart from lowering anxiety, positive thinking boosts productivity and self-confidence. There are several ways to cultivate this trait. The first one is positive self-talk. Research suggests that changing what you say to yourself impacts your ability to control your thoughts, behavior, and emotions when stressed.
Rather than lamenting about how you messed up, you can start the day by saying you’ll try again. Likewise, watch the people you allow into your circle. While negative people can dampen your mood, their positive counterparts offer motivation and push you closer to your goals. Don’t forget to spread positivity to other people. You could send a good morning text to a loved one or smile to a stranger on your way to work.
Give It Time but start Boosting emotional resilience Today
Being emotionally resilient is a process to build upon. Learn from failure, allowing yourself to start over as many times as possible. Remember, your emotional resilience strength doesn’t translate to isolation. Accept and offer support to your loved ones during traumatic events. How do you develop emotional resilience? Leave a comment with your tips and be on the lookout for a new article every week here on Keeping Distance.
